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Valeria Ponte's White Minestrone Soup
by Molly O'Neill
"My father was Italian, my mother was Colombian, and we lived in Venezuela," Valeria Ponte says. "I was blonde –– or at least blonder than anyone we knew –– and we stuck out." In other words, she had already been a foreigner by the time she was a teenager and moved alone to the United States to take a job as an au pair. The transition wasn't difficult. The homesickness was. But that could be addressed with family recipes. This white minestrone, from her Italian "nonna," has none of the usual tomato. Instead, it's a thick and creamy mélange of beans, vegetables, and pasta. Ponte's mother kept a pot of minestrone in the refrigerator. "It was a way to get us to eat our vegetables," she says, "It works for my children as well as it worked for me."
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 large leeks, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
3 small zucchini, finely chopped
1 large head green cabbage, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 or 3 handfuls dried red kidney beans, pinto beans, or cannellini beans
2 or 3 handfuls small pasta shapes, such as ditali or small shells
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons salt, or to taste
1 bay leaf
Piece of parmesan cheese rind (if you have one in your fridge), for garnish
Chopped parsley for garnish
1. Combine all the ingredients except the parmesan and parsley in a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover ingredients by an inch. Place over medium heat and simmer for one hour, or until the beans and vegetables are tender.
2. Discard the bay leaf. Scoop out 1/4 of the soup. Working in batches, blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot and stir to combine.
3. Reheat if necessary, adjust seasonings, and serve with parmesan cheese rind or chopped parsley.
Makes enough soup for an army!
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